'Freakish' Glenn Maxwell boundary catch leaves commentators stunned and cements Aussie win

Cricket fans should be accustomed to seeing Glenn Maxwell bend the rules of physics.

But the Aussie veteran is still finding ways to stun viewers.

He did it again late in Sunday's Twenty20 match against South Africa in Darwin, when the Proteas were desperately searching for runs in the final over.

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Top-order batter Ryan Rickelton thought he had belted a six off the bowling of Ben Dwarshuis, but his fatal mistake was hitting it in the area Maxwell was patrolling.

The ball sailed over the boundary rope but Maxwell somehow leapt over, caught it and flung it back over his shoulder before his feet hit the ground.

He then turned and jumped back into the field of play while completing the catch, dismissing Rickelton for 71 and essentially ending South Africa's hopes of victory.

"Maxwell does something amazing down there," Fox Cricket commentator Mark Howard proclaimed.

"Only Maxwell can do it. Brilliant, simply brilliant."

Australian great Mark Waugh - considered one of the best slip fielders of all time - was amazed at the 36-year-old's athleticism.

"How many times (can he do it)?" Waugh said.

"How many times has Glenn Maxwell done this?

"He's jumped quite a long way over the rope here. That is freakish.

"To have the skillset to lob it just the right distance away from yourself so that you can get there... perfect weight on the throw.

"That's just a great bit of fielding. The hard things he makes look easy.

"Not many players can do regularly what he just did then."

Maxwell has made a habit of executing such boundary catches in recent years.

Former Australian Test player Kerry O'Keeffe pointed out Maxwell's ability actually increases the size of the field for batters.

"He's said 'I stretch the boundary, it might be 67 metres but I make it 71 metres', and he does," O'Keeffe said.

"This was a six until his hands lurked under it. He toys with ground dimensions."

Australia won the match by 17 runs.